Maple Leafs hammered by Rangers 7-1

Toronto Maple Leafs' Jonathan Bernier makes a save in first period action as they host the New York Rangers at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Saturday, January 4, 2013. (Michael Peake/Toronto Sun)

If they'd peeled back the roof of the ACC, airlifted their 50,000 fans from Ann Arbor, let it snow and have HBO film it all, the Maple Leafs might have had a chance Saturday night.

But instead of replicating winning conditions of the Winter Classic, the Leafs returned home to a perfect storm of ineptitude and injuries. They came from the Big House to coming up small at home, as the New York Rangers overcame travel fatigue to spank Toronto 7-1. It was the most goals against the Leafs this year, tied their worst deficit in a loss and marked the fourth time they'd given up 50 shots.

Harsh fan reaction among 19,362 was loud and prolonged.

"It's embarrassing, getting booed off the ice in the first period, second period, the end of the game," said Joffrey Lupul. "And we deserved it. I apologize to people who paid money to see us play like that."

A post-game meeting was called, with Randy Carlyle delivering some pointed messages. The 24/7 cameras are no longer around, so the Leafs probably got both uncensored barrels from the coach.

"My message was that it was unacceptable," said Carlyle. "We thought we were becoming more competitive in certain areas (the previous win over Detroit created a season-high six-game points streak). But this one sent an A-bomb (through that)."

It could be a costly defeat in more ways than one. Right winger David Clarkson and first-pairing defenceman Carl Gunnarsson were both first-period casualties. Clarkson blocked a Michael Del Zotto drive on his left foot that Hockey Night In Canada clocked at 151.8 km/h. Despite two returns to the ice during breaks in play, he couldn't continue.

Gunnarsson was conked in the head by a shot in warm-up then stepped on a puck and fell awkwardly, suffering a shoulder injury or other upper-body mishap. Frustration got the better of captain Dion Phaneuf near the end of the game when he fought Chris Kreider, taking some stitches and scraping his knuckles. That put the Leafs down to three defencemen for a spell with Cody Franson also off. Brian Boyle scored the last Rangers goal on the ensuing power play.

"When we don't play to our system, we get in trouble," said Phaneuf, in his first home game since signing a seven-year, $49-million US contract on New Year's Eve. "That's what happened tonight. We weren't physical and they took advantage."

The GTA/Ontario contingent on the Rangers had a banner night, from Caledonia's Cam Talbot and his 25 saves, to defencemen Del Zotto and Dan Girardi (two points, combined plus three) and to ex-Leaf Dominic Moore with two goals. Talbot beat the Leafs for the second time in two weeks.

The Rangers lost and travelled from Pittsburgh the night before, but were all over the Leafs after a first-line push failed to supply a key early goal. Starter Jonathan Bernier snared a double deflection and stopped a Kreider breakaway or the Rangers would have been three or four goals up after the first period. Toronto backed off and paid for it dearly.

Franson tried some trickery when a simple zone clearing pass would have done and the Leafs never did get it out on Carl Hagelin's opening goal. Juggling lines with Clarkson out, Nazem Kadri made Carlyle's decision easy to demote him a couple of shifts with a weak breakout pass near the Leaf bench. Kadri was briefly given fourth-line duty between Jerry D'Amigo and Colton Orr, with the whole unit caught looking when Moore shocked Bernier with a bad angle, five-hole goal.

With their bread-and-butter goalie rattled, things went from bad to worse. The Rangers came in waves and passed with ease, going cross-ice a couple of times before Benoit Pouliot made it 3-0. Kreider squeezed past Franson on the fourth goal and beat Bernier at full tilt. Moore did much the same to Jake Gardiner.

"We got out-worked to put it mildly," Franson said. "They got in behind us, they changed sides, they made it tough for us to sustain any stop to their progression. They rolled around the walls all night, shot from everywhere and crashed the net for rebounds. Pretty simple stuff and we didn't have an answer."

Carlyle was hoping to get through the second period before lifting Bernier, but Wednesday's hero had to make the skate of shame to the bench after allowing five goals on 32 shots. The hook for James Reimer did have the desired effect for a few minutes, as Lupul found the short side on Talbot.